Allegheny Valley Hospital and
La Roche College CRNA School

Allegheny Valley Hospital and La Roche College Nurse Anesthesia Program is one of thirteen CRNA schools in Pennsylvania.

Allegheny Valley Hospital
La Roche College
School of Nurse Anesthesia
320 East North Anenue
5th Floor, South Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Contact Information
Deborah A Davison, CRNA, MS, CRNA Program Director
ph: (412) 442-2188
fax: (412) 442-2189
email: dadcrna@hotmail.com

Quick Facts

CRNA Degree offered
MS in Health Sciences

Program Length
24 months, full time

Credit Hours
49 semester credits

Starting Month
August

Application Deadline
December 31st

Entire Program Cost of CRNA School at Allegheny Valley Hospital.
Tuition is calculated at the 2013-2014 rate. Tuition at most schools increases each academic year. Over the duration of the program, expect to pay a tuition that is 5% to 15% higher than what is shown here.

Cost of Tuition: $31,850
*Fees and expenses: $3,000
Grand Total: $34,850

*This includes the cost of books and supplies, test fees and miscellaneous school expenses.

Allegheny Valley Hospital Tuition Link

When did this CRNA Program begin?
In the 1990's

Is a thesis required?
You may choose to complete either a research project or a Master’s thesis.

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CRNA Program Summary

Are you concerned that Allegheny Valley Hospital’s Nurse Anesthesia Program won’t give you the specific experiences or training you need to be a successful CRNA? Learn what standards CRNA Programs must meetin order to be accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia (COA).

This CRNA program (as well as all others that are accredited by the COA) prepares you to take the CCNA certification exam at the conclusion of the program, allowing you to become a CRNA.

This front-loaded CRNA school has two parts: the La Roche College portion and a clinical-based portion taught at Allegheny Valley Hospital School of Anesthesia. Only students who already have the CRNA credential are exempt from the clinical portion.

The La Roche College didactic portion is five consecutive semesters.

For first year students, classes are taught on Thursdays and Fridays, and professional preparation in the hospital is scheduled on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

For second year students, the La Roche classes are taught on Mondays, with clinical work scheduled for the remainder of the week. The remaining time is spent entirely at the programs affiliated clinical sites.

Clinical Sites include: Allegheny General Hospital, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Forbes Regional Hospital, Alli-Kiski Medical Center, Butler Memorial Hospital, Passavant Hospital, Sewickley Valley Hospital, St. Clair Memorial Hospital and Suburban General Hospital.

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Program Requirements

Looking for something specific? Find CRNA schools categorized by theirunique requirements.

Some CRNA schools require much more out of their applicants than others. See how the requirements at Allegheny Valley Hospital CRNA School compare to most CRNA school’s requirements.

CRNA Program Requirements

Required Bachelor Degree
You’ll need a BSN or an appropriate BS/BA degree.

RN:
Current licensure as a registered nurse

Critical Care:
Minimum of one year of nursing experience in an adult critical care setting

GPA:
Grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the undergraduate level

GRE and/or MAT
Acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Exam or Miller Analogy Test

Certifications:

BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support)
ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support)
PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)

Course Prerequisites: You need a “B” in these classes:

Chemistry
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Pharmacology
Physics

*You’ll need to verify competency in any class that was taken more than ten years ago.

Allegheny Valley Hospital CRNA School’s website

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CRNA School Performance

CRNA School Rankings - U.S. News & World Report (2011)
2.6 out of 5.0. Ranked 55 out of 107 CRNA programs.

*Please note: CRNA rankings are bias and subjective. Read disclaimer about how CRNA rankings are created.*

Accredited CRNA Programs are reviewed regularly.
Allegheny Valley Hospital CRNA School Nurse Anesthetist Program was last reviewed 05/2005. It was given the maximum of 10 years accreditation and will be reviewed again 05/2015. This shows that the program is in full compliance with the COA’s accreditation standards.

Pass Rate for CRNA Boards
Please note: It is extremely rare for a student at any CRNA school to noteventually pass the exam. Most students who don’t pass the first time pass the second. Very rarely does a person ever take it a third time. This statistic only measures how well the program prepares students to pass the test the first time around.

First-time test takers: 85%
National average (2008): 89.9%

Attrition Rate
23.5%

CRNA Employment Rate of program graduates
100%

CRNA Salaries

An average nurse anesthetist salary in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania CRNA salaries are lower than the national average and range from $130k to $150k.

An average annual nurse anesthetist salary in the US is $163,467 (according to a 2008 study)